Relational uncertainty and dyadic synchrony within the interaction of couples

Abstract

Relational uncertainty refers to the questions people have about their perceptions of involvement within close relationships. To complement a wealth of research examining the link between relational uncertainty and people’s self-reported communication strategies, we investigate relational uncertainty as a predictor of behavioral sequences within interaction. We draw on both seminal and contemporary theorizing to hypothesize that relational uncertainty impedes dyadic synchrony, or the coordination between partners within interaction. Couples ( N = 97) participated in a 5-minute discussion designed to facilitate expressions of intimacy; we coded these interactions using the circumplex-based Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) model. We evaluated whether couples experiencing relational uncertainty exhibit forms of dyadic asynchrony in which self-disclosure and validation are met by a partner’s hostility. Sequential analyses revealed that, after covarying relationship quality, relationship uncertainty was associated with sequences of self-disclosure/hostility among men ( H1), and self uncertainty and relationship uncertainty were associated with sequences of validation/hostility among both men and women ( H2). Partner uncertainty did not predict dyadic asynchrony in either form. These findings advance scholarship on relational uncertainty by underscoring the importance of sequential exchanges within couple interaction.